CNET News Video

New robot replaces remote control

CNET News gets a look at QB1, a new bot that replaces the remote control when you listen to music and could eventually be used as a substitute for a keyboard and mouse. It recognizes the person it's interacting with and reacts to simple human gestures.

2:49 / 29 April 2009

Transcript

>> Eric: CNET News is getting a look at the new robot QB1 that replaces the remote control when you listen to music. The idea of this robot
is that it should adjust to humans instead of humans adjusting to the machine. [music]
>> What is really new with this device is that really interactivity is following you wherever you are. I can start a song simply
by gesturing like this and I can still move around and, again, I want to change basically the song or pause it and I'm doing a simple
gesture. No remote control just your hand interactivity is following you.
>> The basic metaphor and principle for computer interface were invented 30 years ago; you know the mouse, the keyboard and nothing
has really changed.
^M00:00:45
[ Music ]
^M00:00:53
>> So we thought why not invent a computer that you can be able to use but from anywhere in the room without going to your desk. With
the possibility of continuing to talk to your friends while you're doing it and the possibility of walking the room while you
interact. So now imagine it's not me but it's my daughter she's a bit this height so the system is adapting to her and she just wants
to select one song, well she just do this. So even for child it works perfectly.
>> We put inside QB1 a 3D camera that we designed which is capable of basically extracting the person in front of the computer from
his background. And so that permit to do very robust gesture recognition.
>> And it can still [inaudible] where it plays to pick another song potentially. As this computer knows a bit about what you do.
It knows who is interacting with it, it recognize your faces so it can actually
adapt to your choice and you can ask it to choose the music autonomously.
^M00:01:54
[ Music ]
^M00:01:59
>> Because it leaves with you because you interact with it because it understands who is there and who is not there. It understand
about context much better than any other computer.
^M00:02:07
[ Music ]
^M00:02:12
>> Eric: Why can't you just use a normal remote control here?
>> You know, remote control you lose them, there's only one person that can interact at a time. So I think we really want to get rid
of remote control. And actually I would say we want to get rid of mouse and keyboards too when we want to play music. I mean something
as simple as playing music should be done with a simple gesture that's what we're trying to achieve.
>> Eric: The company that is developing this robot OSWE [assumed spelling] hopes to make this robot available for the consumers at the end of this year. The
price is not decided yet. For CNET News in San Francisco this is Eric Palm. [assumed spelling]
^M00:02:46
[ Music ]

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